Game apparatus



Jan. 12, 1937.

D. C. ROCKOLA GAME APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 6 1936 0001' C. Roe/201a INVENTOR.

BY fK w47 M f lllll Illlllllllr lllllllllllllllHHIIIIHIIIIIII HIS ATTORNEYS Jan. 12, 1937. I v 11 ROCKQLA 2,067,245

GAME APPARATUS Filed Jan. 6, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 12, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAME APPARATUS Application January 6, 1936, Serial No. 57,645

4 Claims.

This invention relates to game apparatuses.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved game apparatus which, is relatively simple and inexpensive in construction and efficient in use. 3

Another object of. the present invention is to provide a novel game apparatus ,of the pin and marble game typeembodying a cabinet including a member providing a ball-playing surface .provided with ball-receiving pockets, ball-stopping members movably mounted upon or above the playing surface of the cabinet and adapted, when in effective position, to prevent balls from entering' the ball-receiving pockets with which the ball-stopping members are associated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel device for moving the aforesaid ballstopping members into-ineffective or raised position so that balls traveling over the playing surface of the apparatus may enter into the pockets with which theball-stopping members are associated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel device'formoving the ball-stopping members into ineffective position.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel device for controlling the number of said ball-stopping members which will be moved into ineffective or raised position at one time when the mechanism for moving the said ballstopping members into inefiective or raised position is operated.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the'novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of. construction, and in which: i Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a game apparatus embodying a preferred form of the present in- .vention;

Fig.2 is a sectional view of the same on line 2--2 in Fig. 1;

' Fig. 3 isa bottom plan view on line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on line 4-4 in Fig. 2;

Fig.5 isa bottom plan view of a device embodied in the invention for controlling the number of the ball-stopping members; which are moved into eifective position at one time;

. Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 68 in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line l-'! in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view of an electrical circuit embodied in the invention.

A game apparatus embodying a preferred form 5 of the present invention is shown in the drawings, is therein generally indicated at l0, and comprises a cabinet H which includes an inclined playing board l2, and provided in the inclined playing board l2 are ball-receiving pockets l3. Slidably mounted in the cabinet ll, below the inclined playing board I2, is a ball-retaining member l4 and provided in this ball-retaining member are ball exit openings [5 which are adapted to be registered or aligned with the pockets [3 so as to discharge balls from the latter in a manner which is well understood in the art.

Mounted upon the inclined playing board l2, adjacent each of, the ball-receiving pockets [3, is a supportinglbracket l6 (Fig. 2) and pivotally mounted upon each of these supporting brackets [6, as at H, is a ball-stopping member l8 which has,.in the form of the invention shown, the shape or form of a spear, each of these ball-stopping members [8 being guided in, and the length of its movement determined by, a vertical slot I9 which is formed in an upright portion of each of the brackets IB (Fig. 2).

Attached to each of the ball-stopping members l8, at one end thereof, as at 2i, (Fig. 2) is a link or small wire rod 22, and each of these links or small wire rods 22 depends, or projects downwardly, through an opening 23 which is formed in the inclined playing board l2.

Each of these links or small wire rods 22 is attached, at its lower end, as at 24, to an upright arm 25 of a latch member 29. Formed in each of the latch members 29 is an opening 28 and projecting downwardly through each of these openings 28 is the movable element or armature 26 of an electromagnet 21. Each of the latch members 29 is pivotally mounted, between its ends, as at 30, upon a supporting bracket 3| which is attachedto the corresponding electromagnet 21, and each of the latch members 29 is urged (clockwise, Fig. 2) by a spring 32, while each of the movable elements or armatures 26 of the electromagnets 21 is urged (counterclockwise, Fig. 2) by a spring 33.

Formed in each of the latch members 29 is a latching finger or depressed portion BI and each of these latching fingers 6| is latchingly engage- -able with a laterally extending flange 60 which is formed on the corresponding member 26 (Fig. 2)

Attached to, and depending from, the slidablc ball-retaining member l4, adjacent each of the latch members 29, is an arm 34, and each of these arms 34 has a cam or beveled edge. 35 (Fig. 2), the purpose of which will be set forth hereinafter.

Carried by the slidable' ball-retaining member I4 (Fig. 5) is a plate or clip 36 and this plate or clip 36 is engageable with an end portion 31 of a slide bar 38 which is slidably mounted in the cabinet II, on the bottom side of the inclined playing board I2, as shown in Fig. 5. Mounted on the slide bar 38 is a pawl 39 and this pawl 39 is engageable with the teeth 40 of a ratchet 4I which is rotatably mounted, as at 42, upon the bottom side of the inclined playing board l2 (Fig. 6). Carried by, and depending from the ratchet 4! is a hub 0r shaft 43 and attached to this hub 43, at the lower end thereof, is a movable contact arm 44, and this movable contact arm 44 is successively engageable with a plurality of stationary contacts 45-55--59 which are arranged in an annular row, (Fig. 6), these stationary contacts 455559 being mounted upon a suitable support 46 in which the hub 43 is loosely mounted (Fig. 6)

The elec'tromagnets 2T, stationary contacts 45 and 55, and the movable contact 44, are arranged in an electrical circuit which is generally indicated at 4'! (Fig. 8), and likewise arranged in this circuit 41 is a suitable source of current 48 which may be, for example, a battery of dry cells arranged in the cabinet II; it being noted that the stationary contacts 59 are blanks that is, they are not electrically connected to any of the electromagnets 21.

Arranged in the circuit 4'I, adjacent each of the electromagnets 2'I, (Figs. 2 and 8) is a switch 49, and each of these switches 49 comprises a movable resilient contact 59, which is attached to, and is carried by, the corresponding latch member 29 (Fig. 2). Likewise embodied in each of the switches 49 is a stationary contact 5| with which the corresponding movable contact 50 is engageable, each of these stationary contacts 5| being mounted upon a supporting bracket 62 which is suspended from the inclined playing board l2 (Fig. 2) and these supporting brackets 62 also support the electromagnets 21.

slidably mounted in an end wall 52 of the cabinet II is a ball-propelling device, in the form of a plunger 53, by means of which balls may be propelled onto the upper surface of the inclined playing board I2 so that they may gravitate thereover and enter into the pockets I3.

Likewise slidably mounted in the end wall 52 of the cabinet II is a coin slide 54.

Operation the action of the coin slide 54, in a manner which is well understood in the art, the clip or plate 36 engages the end portion 31 of the slide bar 38, thereby moving the latter (left to right, Fig. 5,

Fig. 2).

against the action of the resetting spring 58) and thus moving the pawl 39 (left to right, Fig. 5) thereby moving the ratchet 4| and the movable contact 44 a predetermined circumferential distance (counterclockwise, Fig. 5), that is, a circumferential distance equal to the distance between two of the teeth 49 on the ratchet 4|.

When the movable contact arm 44 is thus moved- (counterclockwise, Fig. 5), by the action of the pawl 39 and ratchet 4 I, it is moved out of engagement with the particular one of the stationary cuit 4'! to the corresponding electromagnet 21 (Fig. 8) whereupon current will flow as follows: From one side of the source of current 48, through the conductor 63, into the hub 43, through the movable contact arm 44 and the particular stationary contact 45 with which the same is engaged, thence through the corresponding conductor 64 and switch 49 to one of the electromagnets 21, and thence by way of the corresponding conductor 65 back to the other side of the 'current source 48.

When the circuit 41 to one of the electromagnets 2? is thusclosed, by the engagement of the movable contact arm 44 with one of the stationary contacts 45, the said electromagnet 41 which is thus actuated will attract its movable element or armature 26, (clockwise, from full to dotted line position, Fig. 2) against the action of its resetting spring 33, thereby moving the lower end portion of the member 26 to the left hand end of the slot 28 in the corresponding latch member 29, (as seen in Fig. 2), thus moving the flanged portion 66 of the member 26 out of latching engagement with the lip or depressed portion 6| of the corresponding latch, whereupon the spring 32 will pivot the latch member 29 (clockwise, from full to dotted line position, Fig. 2). This movement of the latch member 29 and its arm 25 pulls the link or small wire rod 22 downwardly in the corresponding slot 23, thereby pivoting the corresponding ball-stopping member I8 into ineffective position, (counterclockwise, from full to dotted line position, Fig. 2), and when the ball-stopping member I8 is in this ineffective position a ball; 56 traveling over the inclined playing board I2 may enter into the pocket I3 with which the thus actuated ballstopping member is associated.

The ball-stopping members I8 are retained in. ineffective or dotted line position (Fig. 2) until the ball-retaining member I4 is moved (left to right, Fig. 2), by action of the coin slide 54, whereupon the beveled or angled edges 35 of the members 34 will engage the end portions 57 of the latch members 29 and. thereby pivot the same, against the action of the springs-31 (counterclockwise, from dotted to full line position, This movement of the latch members 29 acts, through the arms 25 of the same,to lift the small wire rods .22, thereby pivoting the ballstopping members I8 .back into effective or ball- ,stopping position (clockwise, from dotted to full line position, Fig. 2.) When the latch members 29 are thus moved, by the action of the members 3435, back into effective position (as in full lines, Fig. 2) the springs 33 act upon the members 26 to pivot the later (counterclockwise,

? from dotted to full line position, Fig. 2), thereby moving the flanged portions 60 of the members 26 under the depressed portions 6| of the members 29, and thereby latchingly engaging the latch members 29 and the movable elements 2.6 of the electromagnets 27.

During the foregoing movement of the latch member 29, the contact 59 carried thereby engages the contact I, thus closing the corresponding switch 49 and thereby pre-disposing the circuit 41 in condition to be closed when the coin slide 54 and ball-retaining member M are again operated, (left to right, Fig. 2).

It will be noted, by reference to Fig. 8, that the annular row of stationary contacts therein 1 shown includes the contacts 59 which, when engaged by the movable contact 44, do not energize any of the electromagnets 2'! and hence do not actuate any of the ball-stopping members l8.

It will also be noted that the annular row of stationary contacts in the control device (Fig. 7) includes the contacts 55, each of these contacts 55 being electrically connected, by a branch conductor 66, to a common conductor 61 and this conductor 67 leads to one side of the switch 49 which has associated therewith the particular electromagnet 21 which is designated A, Fig. 8; the other side of the electromagnet 21 A being electrically connected to the current source 48 by means of conductors 68 and H.

Leading from the conductor 67 to one side of the switch 49 which is associated with the electromagnet 2'! B is a conductor 69, and the ,other side of the electromagnet 2'! B is electrically connected, by Way of the conductors I0 and H, to the current source 48.

Accordingly, when the movable contact 44 engages one of the stationary contacts 55 both of the electromagnets 2'! A and 21 B will be energized and hence will raise or lift the corresponding ball-stopping members is into raised or ineffective position, current then flowing as follows: From one side of the current source 48, through the conductor 63 to the hub 43, through the movable contact arm 44, through the particular stationary contact 55 with which the movable contact arm 44 is in engagement, thence by way of the corresponding conductor 56, and conductor 6'! to the switch 49 which is associated with the electromagnet 21 A, through the latter, thence by way of the conductors 68 and H back to the other side of the current source 48, thus energizing the electromagnet 21 A and raising the corresponding ball-stopping member 18 into ineffective position, and at the same time, current will also flow from the conductor 61, by way of the conductor 69, into the switch 49 which is associated with electromagnet 21 B, through the latter, and thence back into the current source 48 by way of the conductor l0 and H; it being thus noted that when the movable contact 44 is disposed in engagement with one of the stationary contacts 55 a predetermined number of the electromagnets 27 (that is, in the present instance, two of the electromagnets, 21 A and 2! B) are energized and a corresponding number of the ball-stopping members 18 are moved into ineffective position, it being understood that more than two electromagnets 21 may be energized at one time, if

so desired, by the engagement of the movable contact 44 with one of the stationary contacts 55, the number not being limited to two, as in the wiring diagram shown in Fig. '7, since this wiring scheme may be varied to the end that three or more electromagnets 2! may be simultaneously energized by the engagement of the movable contact 44 with one of the stationary contacts 55.

The switches 49 in circuit with each of the electromagnets 27 are operable to interrupt the flow of current through the windings thereof after any one of them has been energized by a circuit set up by the commutator switch. In other words, as soon as any one of the magnets is energized to release its latch mechanism, the individual switch 49 thereof will open, interrupting the energizing current. This is necessary obviously to conserve power, since the commutator switch is not thereafter operated until the shuffle panel is again moved.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification, without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a game apparatus, a cabinet including a member providing a ball-playing surface provided with ball-receiving pockets, a ball-stopping member movably mounted upon said playing surface adjacent each of said pockets and each of said ball-stopping members having a portion normally projecting over and above the corresponding one of said pockets so as to prevent balls traveling over the said playing surface from entering the said pockets, means for moving the said ball-stopping members in a direction to move the said portions thereof away from said pockets into ineffective position so as to allow balls traveling over said playing surface to enter into the said pockets, and means for controlling the number of said ball-stopping members which are moved into ineffective position at one time by the action of said first-named or moving means.

2. In a game apparatus, a cabinet including a member providing a ball-playing surface provided with ball-receiving pockets; a plurality of ball-stopping members mounted for movement in a direction substantially normal to said surface upon said playing surface and each having a portion normally projecting over or above one of said ball-receiving pockets so as to prevent balls traveling over the said playing surface from entering the said pockets, means for moving the said ball-stopping members into ineffective position and the said portions thereof away. from their normal or effective position above said pockets so as to allow balls traveling over said playing surface to enter the said pockets, and means for controlling the number of said ballstopping members which will be moved into ineffective position by said first-named or moving means at each operation of the latter.

3. In a game apparatus, a cabinet including a member providing a ball-playing surface provided with ball-receiving pockets; a plurality of ball-stopping members pivotally mounted upon said playing surface and each having a portion normally projecting over or above one of said ball-receiving pockets so as to prevent balls traveling over said playing surface from entering i the said pocket, means for pivoting the said balleach operation of the latter.

4. In a game apparatus of the type having an inclined ball-playing board with ball-receiving apertures therein and a shuffle member movable below said apertures to permit balls to pass therethrough, control means comprising ballstopping members pivotally mounted on said board and each having an end portion normally projecting over one of said ball-receiving apertures therein to prevent a ball from entering said aperture, said stopping members being releasable for pivotal movement to move their respectivesaid end portions into ineffective ballstopping position relative to their respective said apertures, means urging said stopping members into ineffective position, means operable by said shufile member and including a rotatable switching device and electromagnetic means controlled thereby for releasing selected ones of said ball stopping members for pivotal movement into ineffective ball stopping position, and means also operable by said shuffle member for resetting ball-stopping members from pivoted, ineffective position to efiective ball-stopping position.

DAVID C. ROCKOLA. 

